Ohio State names St. Joe’s Prep’s Kyle McCord as starting QB for rest of season

Two games into the regular season, Buckeyes coach Ryan Day noted that making the decision gives McCord "peace of mind."

On Tuesday, Ohio State head coach Ryan Day confirmed that former St. Joseph's Prep quarterback Kyle McCord will lead the team for the remainder of the season.Read moreEmilee Chinn / MCT

Published Sept. 12, 2023, 4:55 p.m. ET

Ohio State coach Ryan Day certainly didn’t make it easy on quarterback Kyle McCord when it comes to handing him the on-field keys to his offense.

But two games into the regular season, Day announced Tuesday that McCord, the former St. Joseph’s Prep star, would be the Buckeyes’ QB1 for the remainder of the campaign. McCord had battled sophomore Devin Brown for the starting job in the preseason.

Day noted that making the decision gives McCord “peace of mind,” according to an ESPN report. It’s continuity at the right time, as many believe this Ohio State team is in the driver’s seat to contend for a national championship this season.

It also firmly cements that the quarterback-to-receiver connection between McCord and All-American wideout Marvin Harrison, Jr. will continue. Harrison was McCord’s go-to receiver at the Prep, and that connection will carry on — with Harrison one of the favorites to win the Heisman Trophy this season.

“As close as we may seem on the field, we’re even closer off the field, we have a big friendship,” Harrison told The Inquirer last year. “Now he’s my quarterback. That receiver-to-quarterback connection is very important.”

McCord leads an Ohio State team looking to improve on a remarkable 2022 season, going 11-2 and making it into the coveted College Football Playoff before losing to eventual national champion Georgia in the semifinal.

This season, the sixth-ranked Buckeyes are off to a 2-0 start and will host Western Kentucky on Saturday in a tune-up game before a prime-time clash with No. 9 Notre Dame on Sept. 23.